Bar Etc. is a Toronto bar specializing in drinks and bites that are tropical in essence, but don't get it twisted: this is no old-school tiki bar.

Hospitality pro Lee Stein (Hot Mess) and mixologist Sasha Siegel (formerly Lonely Diner, Overpressure Club) believe in Leslieville. That's why, when Gerrard staple the Dive Shop, closed its doors at the end of 2025, they knew they had to keep its legacy alive.

Prior to its closure, Stein, alongside Hot Mess collaborator Chef Steven Kasprowicz, spearheaded a menu overhaul at the Dive Shop. When the bar's owners approached her to take over the lease with her own concept in the space, Siegel was the first person she called. Months of development later, Bar Etc. was born.

For Siegel, who has spent most of his time working and living in the city's western neighbourhoods, Leslieville was a relative unknown, but one that excited him nonetheless.

A neighbourhood that's always boasted its fair share of culinary gems, Leslieville is in the midst of a major boom as more restaurants and bars flock to the neighbourhood, but it hasn't yet come anywhere near the saturation point that neighbourhoods like Ossington and Little Italy have. Bar Etc. is Stein and Siegel's attempt at giving the neighbourhood something it's never had before.

And in the weeks since opening, it's clear that the team's hunches have proven correct. My visit to Bar Etc. on a Friday evening, less than a month after it opened, is proof.

Within an hour of opening, the bar, which is a large, sultry space with warm lighting and toned-down tropical accents like lush foliage and dark wallpaper with low-contrast plant patterns, has almost entirely filled up. A playlist of alternative rock standards plays at conversation volume while Siegel cracks jokes with patrons sitting at the bar.

This, Stein tells me, is a slower night than they've grown accustomed to.

The cocktails, like the interiors (and the food menu, you'll soon learn), all subscribe to Bar Etc.'s "tropical in essence" ethos, which translates into drinks that utilize tropical ingredients in unexpected ways.

Siegel's riff on the classic daiquiri ($17) is a perfect example. A longtime standard of all-inclusive resort menus, this daiquiri eschews the drink's tendency towards the sickly-sweet, instead leveraging tart green mango and earthy curry leaf for a more refined spin.

The Savoury Martini ($19) is a can't-miss. In a cocktail that most frequently finds its savouriness in olive brine, Bar Etc.'s version instead uses your choice of gin or vodka with pickled papaya brine and the finishing touch of basil oil.

Instead of salty, the drink has a fruity edge without a hint of sweetness. They're pre-mixed and kept in the freezer, so there's no risk of your drink dropping below preferred chill levels.

Another show-stopper can be found in the Tonic High Ball ($17), which combines vodka, fino sherry, tarragon cordial, tonic, black pepper cordial and a house-made liqueur of mastic, a Mediterranean tree sap. It may seem daunting, but it's not: it's fresh and bright, with a welcome pop of sweetness from the tonic.

Don't be surprised if you find that you've drunk more than one before the night's over.

Such substantial cocktails call for an equally impressive food program, and Bar Etc.'s, designed by Kasprowicz, delivers.

The food offerings at Bar Etc. are surprisingly substantial, both in size and in substance. Rather than aligning itself with one specific regional cuisine, the food menu follows the cocktail program's lead, instead offering a diverse array of classics refreshed with tropical ingredients.

The Fried Chicken ($15) is a worthy bar bite. Jerk-spiced and topped with pickled papaya pico de gallo, the tropical influence is undeniably there, but it shows up in a package you won't find anywhere else in the city.

As visually appealing as they are tasty, the seared scallops ($16) are a light, shareable dish that feels like an elevated version of sipping rum punch at a beachside fish shack.

The scallops are seared golden-brown and served atop a buerre blanc sauce with compressed apple, charred grapefruit and salmon roe. Look up "lush" in the dictionary, and you'll get this picture.

The bar's riff on coconut shrimp ($15) features sizable grilled prawns, coconut choka, pickled Bird's Eye chili and shallot. Instead of the shrimps themselves being fried, a topping of crispy coconut panko dusts the top for a textural treat.

While the majority of Bar Etc.'s food menu is made for sharing, the Pineapple Smash Burger ($21) is one you might just want to steal all for yourself, although it is served with a steak knife if you do want to divide it among your table.

Inspired by one of Canada's greatest inventions, the Hawaiian pizza (no, this isn't up for debate), the Oklahoma-style smash burger is topped with thick slabs of peameal bacon and pineapple coriander chutney, with cheddar and togarashi aioli.

It comes with a side of potato chips, which — you guessed it! — are made in-house.

Bar Etc. is located at 1036 Gerrard St. E.